Archive for the ‘Strengthening and Conditioning’ Category

You spent hours and hours in the gym doing your Chest Exercises. You commemorate Mondays as “International Chest Day” with your Gym Bros. You’ve tried allvariations of the Bench Presson all angles of Incline and Decline, different variations of the Push-Up, and done all the exercises you researched from YouTube, yet you still can’t seem to make progress.

What keeps you from building that strong and massive Chest so that you can proudly wear your Superman shirt?

You might think that to build a stronger and massive chest, you need to do more chest exercises. That simply follows logic, and it’s correct. But what keeps you from building a stronger and massive chest is the same thing! Doing Chest and Arms three times a week in your exercise program will not help you build a massive chest, but it will only lead to plateau and even overuse injury in the long term.

Here’s the secret to building a massive Chest and Stronger Bench Press:If you want to improve your PUSH, you have to work on your PULL.

Gym bros logic think that because you cannot see your back in the mirror, it does not exist. You want to build muscle mass that will make you look good, and since you can’t see your back, it’s useless! Right??

Wrong.

Working on your PULL will actually enhance your PUSH. Strengthening the shoulder stabilizers (Rotator Cuff muscles) and activating the posterior scapular region (mainly the Trapezius and Rhomboids muscle) for the Upper Back increases reciprocal inhibition and dynamic stability. The more stable your shoulders are, the more efficient your Bench Press will be! And of course with more efficient Bench Press you can lift heavier weights and build massive Pectoral muscles.

The “Strength Doc” recommended a Push to Pull ratio of 2:1 for healthy shoulders. On a daily basis, we’re underworking the back muscles by sitting slouched on our office desks and obsessive handheld technology use. Having this slouched posture keeps the Pectoral muscles on a contracted state and ‘hides’ them from full view. Strengthening your Upper Back improves your POSTURE which helps you flaunt your Pectoral muscles that you’re working hard on.

If you really want to improve your Bench Press, build a massive chest, and look good overall, working your Back is the secret!

Here are other great ways to improve your Bench Press and build a strong and massive Chest:

• Give your chest proper rest and recovery time. Getting a massive pectoral muscle doesn’t come from blasting your chest five times a week. Give each muscle group you work on – including the chest muscles – one to two days of rest in between workouts. Remember: No Recovery, No Improvement!

• Stabilize your shoulders. A powerful push comes from a strong foundation for your arms from your shoulders and core. The more stable that foundation is, the more you’ll be able to bench press. Learn how to stabilize your shoulders here.

• Improve your form. The bench press is simple: unrack the bar, drop and push – repeat ‘x’ number of times, then rack the bar. However, this simplified mentality might be what’s holding you back. Like what I mentioned previously, even your shoulder placement affects your Bench Press. Is your grip correct? How wide or narrow should your hands be? Where should you bend your elbows? Do you keep your spine flat? Do you keep your feet down? Get the right answers for these questions from a certified Personal Trainer to get faster results.

• Get a well-designed program for your Chest exercises. Stop listening to the meat heads in the gym and start training seriously! There is a Training Principle called the Principle of Individuality which states that each individual has their own response and adaptation to any training program. This simply means that what might have worked for that meat head will not necessarily work for you. So if you want real progress, then stop following random advices from people you see in the gym.

After doing a strenuous physical activity, it is normal to feel sore one or two days after, especially if you did something that your body is not used to doing. This is referred to as DOMS which stands for Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness. DOMS occur 24 to 48 hours after your workout.

Your muscle fibers get stressed during your workout and small microscopic tears occur in muscle fibers which results in Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness. The mild muscle strain injury creates microscopic damage to the muscle fibers. Scientists say that this damage plus the inflammation that comes with these tears, causes the pain. Take note that these microscopic tears does not mean that you should stop exercising. On the other hand, getting DOMS is also not an indication that your workout was effective. You don’t have to feel soreness or pain every time you finish exercising for you to say that they worked.

Why do I feel sore after I work out?No one is exempt from getting sore after a workout. Beginner exercisers and elite athletes experience DOMS alike. This muscle soreness is simply a symptom of using your muscles and placing stresses on them that are leading to adaptations to make them stronger and better able to perform the task the next time. If you are a new exerciser, don’t worry if you feel sore after a workout. It is normal especially if your body is not familiar with the exercise, and it will go away in a day or two.

How do I prevent muscle soreness? How do I treat DOMS?
The exact reason why and how DOMS occur is not yet known. Several treatments such as ice, rest, massage, heat, and stretching have all been reported as helpful in the process of muscle recovery.

A significant amount of Flexibility is important even to non-athletes.

Stretchingshould always be included in a training program. This will keep the muscles from tightening and muscle spasms. Stretching is not only beneficial to treat Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness but more importantly to improve flexibility.

Take a day or two of Restwhile your body recovers from DOMS. If you want to keep exercising, try a different activity or do a lighter intensity.

Most importantly, always do a proper Cool-down after your work out. This will ensure circulation to flush out the waste products in your muscles after your exercise.

Research found that applying Heat to treat muscle soreness helps alleviate muscle soreness. The increase in muscle temperature allows more blood flow to the worked out muscles which brings fresh oxygen and nutrients. Applied heat to your sore muscles also helps get rid of chemical irritants that trigger pain.

What should I do if I want to work out and I’m still sore?
You can still continue to train even when you feel sore, but don’t expect to set personal records or optimal performance. Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness affects only the muscle groups that you previously worked, so you can work out other muscle groups while the fatigue parts recover.

Simply put, take it easy when you’re feeling sore.

Following a well-plannedTraining Program is helpful to maximize your workouts, especially on sore days. Having a good exercise program will ensure that you can keep up with your training without further muscle damage and minimize injury.

Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness or DOMS occurs naturally and can be felt by anyone, especially if you do something that your body is not familiar with (ie. Progression in your training program, doing a new physical activity or sport).

Make sure that you warm-up before you workout and do a proper cool-down after to ensure blood flow to your muscles.

Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness goes away in one or two days but you can do some treatments to alleviate the soreness. Stretch the sore muscle or apply heat on it after you work out.

You can still work out even while experiencing DOMS. Work on a different muscle group or cross-train.

Be able to differentiate pain from muscle soreness and pain from an injury. DOMS usually goes away after a day or two. Also, the soreness from DOMS should not limit you from doing light to moderate activities.
Seek medical attention if you feel stinging or persistent pain.

Follow a well-planned Training Program to ensure progress in your workouts while allowing enough recovery for your muscles. This will ensure that you maximize gains and minimize over-training and injury.

I can help you get the best out of your workouts from a Periodized Training Program. For more information or if you would like to contact me, check out my SERVICES page and answer the short form so I could know you a little better. Click HERE to continue to the services page.

I guarantee results, if you guarantee adherence.

Talk to you soon!

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Also check out my Facebook page at https://m.facebook.com/CoachBillyGoco

Statistics say that losing weight and staying fit and healthy always make it to the Top 10 New Year’s Resolution list that people make. However, statistics also say that most people do not adhere to their resolution, or if they do, they find it hard to sustain it for the whole year! You may have been one of those who made this resolution once or twice before but can’t seem to keep it up for the rest of the year.

Setting a goal is good. But goals will only be good on paper unless we take the next steps to do them. How many people do you think know what to do next after writing their new year’s resolution? How can you make sure that you stick to your goal to lose weight, stay healthy, and get fit?

Direction.
After you set your goal for this year to lose weight, stay healthy, and get fit, the next thing that you should do is to get DIRECTION. You don’t just plan to go to a place without looking at the map to know the best route to your destination. The same goes with the goal to lose weight and stay healthy.

Having a training program is the key to get the direction you need to lose weight and stay healthy. With a good training program, you are sure to get the most out of your workouts and that you are not wasting your time.

Measurement.
When you have the proper direction, the next thing you should do is to MEASURE. Your goals should be attainable and measurable. How much weight do you want to lose? Or to better paraphrase the question, how much weight can you lose in a healthy way? On average, it is safe to lose 1.5 to 2 lbs a week with regular exercise that includes strength training and cardio workouts.

Honestly though, weight is only a vague measurement of how fit or healthy you are. Your body weight can be affected by water, muscle mass, bone density, and much more! At 6’2″ Hugh Jackman was 198 lbs when he bulked up for the movie Wolverine. His BMI would be considered ‘overweight’ based on standard values.

What matters more is your body circumference or girth measurement. It is a better indicator for losing subcutaneous fat – the stubborn fat under your skin – than stepping on the weighing scale. When you determine which ones to measure, then you can easily track your progress and know how to keep improving in your training.

Commitment.
Lastly, you need COMMITMENT. This may sound cliche, but again goals are only good on paper unless you commit to doing them. I started to work as a Personal Trainer in a gym in the first quarter of the year.

Many of my clients who I trained signed up for Personal Training thinking that it will help them commit to pursuing their fitness goal. They got the best training program specific to their goals and needs, and I helped them determine how to measure attainable results. But only the committed clients stayed for the rest of the year. Some were always caught up with their work schedule or other errands always seem to get in the way of training. A few realised after a couple of sessions that they were not ready to commit and sacrifice time and energy.

If you want change to happen, you have to commit everything it takes to get the change you want. In my experience in personal training, there are people who pay big money to the gym for one on one personal training and expect that it will make them commit to their goal. It’s a big mistake and a waste of money.

As a personal trainer I can give you direction; I can motivate you towards your goal; and I can challenge you to push yourself more. What I cannot do is to make you commit to show up every training day and to give your 100% every time.

If you are serious about your fitness goal to lose weight, get healthy, and stay fit, then you just need to motivate yourself to follow these three next steps after writing your goal. Find the direction you need so that you don’t feel lost when you train and so that each training day would be worth it. Get an accurate measurement of your goal and reach for specific, attainable results to keep you motivated. Keep in mind that your goal requires long-term commitment. Don’t be overwhelmed but simply take small steps to develop habits that will help you reach your goal.

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Do you think you can commit to your fitness goal to lose weight, get healthy and stay fit? I can help give you direction and support that you need to be successful in your goal. Send me a direct message or check out the SERVICES page.

Keeping up with your training can be difficult if you work a regular 8-hour job that you need to juggle in your schedule with other important stuff like family, kids, house chores, the dog, and your favourite TV show. It takes dedication, commitment, and lots of guts to put “Exercise” in your top priority list…and it’s even harder if you think your Personal Trainer is trying to kill you!

The best of us don’t just survive in difficult circumstances (yes, including the torturous training), but succeed and continue growing until we reach our goal.

The Best-Fitness-Client(s)-of-2014 award goes to Danny and Connie who are such people.

Danny starts work early in the morning and ends late with his split shift. He usually has only a few minutes left to change from his work clothes to his gym clothes. Connie is working a regular 8-hour job that requires a lot of patience. Like for most of us, it’s not easy for the couple to get motivated to go to the gym for another hour of exhausting training after a long, stressful and tiring day.

But they made thedecision.

And they are doing quite a great job coming to the gym 3 to 4 times a week! Danny and Connie has been consistently doing their strength training, circuit workouts, cardio routines, and mat core exercises (which they honestly abhor) since they started to train with me in May this year. It has been a great 6 months training with them and every month they just keep reaching their goals!

Great job! Keep it up!

Danny may have driven me straight to the gym if I was a ‘nicer’ Trainer!

Connie Killing the Kettlebells!

********************If you are a determined, committed, and hardworking person who want to reach your fitness goals, I’d love to work with you! Click on the SERVICEStab to apply for Online Fitness Coaching and see if you’re fit for the program. Talk to you soon!

Meet “Pat,” though her head is flourishing with grey hair, she’s still active and robust in relative physique. She comes to the gym to train with me twice a week on top of her daily physical activities such as walking, Gardening, and singing (she keeps convincing me it’s a physical activity since you work thediaphragm, and not a lot of people know how to properly do that).

This month, she just turned 75 years old and is still continuing to train regularly. She had a surgery on her right hip, right shoulder, and heart but I’ve trained with her long enough to convince me of her favourite motto “all the parts that I have still works!” Pat trained with another trainer before but stopped for a bit while waiting for the new gym in her area to open. I started training training with her in the first half of this year and I’m just amazed with her energy and strength! I have trained other elderly clients in the before but Pat is the strongest of them all! She’s actually looking for a ‘competitor‘ – a fellow senior citizen who goes frequently in the gym and lifts as much as she does. So far, I’ve found none!

Her hobby is Gardening and it keeps her busy until the snow falls so we make sure that her lower body and low back strength and flexibility is maintained.

With proper exercise programming and modifications, the elderly can still workout as much as anybody else. If you are included in this population or if know somebody who might benefit from exercise (like your grandpa or grandma), it’s not too late to start! It’s my passion to help people achieve their goals. Send me an email to apply for Fitness Coaching and see if the program fits you! Start training if you’re a ‘senior‘ and wants to be ‘superior!’

The T-bar is typically used as a rowing exercise to work the rhomboids, trapezius, and lats muscles. It can easily be substituted by a barbell or dumb bell row since using the T-bar may feel a little absurd (imagine pulling 50 kg of weight to your crotch).

However, creativity and functional movements can be applied to this gym-corner equipment to give you a good core workout that can be definitely challenging.

Watch the video below to see how to do a clean and press using the T-bar.